Potsdam filmmaker opens Kickstarter campaign for film to be shot here about female service member’s return to civilian life

Monday, July 8, 2013 - 9:08 am

POTSDAM – A local filmmaker has opened a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for his new film, to be shot in Potsdam, about military personnel, especially women, returning to civilian life.

Writer-director Brian Hauser, a professor of film at Clarkson University, an award-winning screenwriter, and principal in Salonista Media, LLC in Potsdam, is hoping to raise $15,000 to fund editing, musical scoring, color correction, sound mix, and festival submissions for “Nontraditional,” a story about how difficult returning to civilian life can be, especially for women warriors.

The movie tells the fictional story of a 26-year-old female combat veteran, Erika Byrd, embarking on her freshman year of college. Erika served in the military police on multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and she expects that college will be easy for her after what she has been through. But she find the transition challenging, “as do many of our returning veterans,” said Hauser, an Army veteran himself.

Principal photography for “Nontraditional,” takes place right in the North Country, about 70 miles from Fort Drum. The cast is led by Lise “Kat” Evans, a Chicago-based actor and playwright making her feature debut. Supporting cast members hail from across upstate New York.

Hauser’s Salonista Media seeks backers for its Kickstarter campaign, which exceeded half of its goal in the first 72 hours after launch. A variety of awards will go to backers, such as their names in the film credits, DVDs of the film, signed screenplays, and even tickets to the premiere and dinner with the filmmakers.

“Backers can also take pride in supporting a truly independent and local film that tells an important story about those women who volunteer to serve their country,” Hauser said in a news release.

Hauser is earned his doctorate from Ohio State University and taught at Union College in Schenectady before coming to Potsdam and Clarkson. He served with the U.S. Army as an intelligence analyst for five years, including a year on active duty with U.S. Central Command (2002-2003).

Producer Christina Xydias is a professor of political science at Clarkson University. She earned degrees from Brown University and Ohio State University and taught at Union College and Susquehanna University before coming to Clarkson. This is the first film that Christina has produced.